Children's & YA Services

Summer reading partnerships

Help combat student summer reading loss by creating a public library and school library partnership for summer reading. Public libraries: ask what you can do to assist the efforts that the school library has been doing for the last nine months. School libraries: ask what you can do to get the word out about your local public library's summer reading program. Also, come as a team to the Jump Start Summer Reading Program workshop nearest you – library.sd.gov.

Keep those YARP/SD Teen Choice Book Awards votes coming

April 1 is the deadline for voting, and we always want to see more teens reading (and voting, of course), so remember to encourage your teen readers to vote today at library.sd.gov.

Let the Prairie Bud and Prairie Pasque voting begin

South Dakota's Prairie Bud/Prairie Pasque Book Award contest voting survey is now open. All SD students in grades K-5 who have read or have had read to them at least five of the titles on the list appropriate for their grade level are eligible to vote. Voting (online only) concludes March 31; winning titles will be announced during National Library Week in April.

Submit all Prairie Bud/Prairie Pasque votes by the end of March through library.sd.gov.

Get ready for Teen Tech Week

"Check In @ your library" is the slogan this year for the 2013 Teen Tech Week from March 10—16. Registration is now open at www.ala.org/teentechweek. If your library decides to participate in Teen Tech Week, please send pictures you take and any fun activities that you have to the State Library.

Purple Up Day is April 12

April is the Month of the Military Child, a time to honor youth impacted by deployment. On April 12 wear purple (the color that symbolizes all branches of the military as the combination of Air Force blue, Army green, Coast Guard blue, Marine red and Navy blue) to show your support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifice.

Operation: Military Kids is a national program designed to support military youth impacted by the deployment cycle. For more info about OMK, visit operationmilitarykids.org, contact Stacia McGourty, at email, or call 605-773-6391.

The Cornerstone monthly e-newsletter is created by the South Dakota State Library. For more information on how to be a part of this newsletter, please contact us via e-mail with your questions and ideas.